


For a Good Time, Call...

by haisai_andagii



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: ALL OF THE WARNINGS, Child Abuse, F/M, Human Trafficking, Kidnapping, M/M, Mind Control, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Murder, Not a Happy Story, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements, light cannibalism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:39:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23371075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haisai_andagii/pseuds/haisai_andagii
Summary: Kon-El “Conner” Kent goes missing after he and Tim begin their romantic relationship. Six months later, the Boy of Steel reappears in the Daily Planet’s gossip section as Bruno Mannheim’s latest side-piece. Tim investigates.
Relationships: Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent
Comments: 7
Kudos: 40





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was originally part of a big bang from like over 5 years ago but I pulled it and beta'd the heck out it. I will be re-releasing it in 3 to 4 parts, including the epilogue. Again, this is NOT a happy story and a lot of messed up stuff happens/is alluded to happening, including cannibalism (Bruno Mannheim is a canonical cannibal.). You have been warned.

**Title:** For a Good Time, Call...

 **Author Name:** haisaii_andagii (AO3)

 **Characters/Pairing:** TimKon

 **Fandom/Universe:** DCU (comics), preNu52 (1985-2011). DC Comics with some variation. Tim Drake is still Robin. Damian Wayne exists but is not Robin yet.

 **Rating:** NC-17 

**Word Count:** 10K+ **  
**

**Warnings:** Rape, Assault and Exploitation of a Minor, Human/Sentient Being Trafficking, Mind Control, Non-Consentual Drug Use, Consentual Sex - THIS IS NOT A HAPPY STORY

**Summary:** Kon-El “Conner” Kent goes missing after he and Tim begin their romantic relationship. Six months later, the Boy of Steel reappears in the Daily Planet’s gossip section as Bruno Mannheim’s latest side-piece. Tim investigates.

**A/N: I just absolutely overhauled this fic.**

  
  


_**Prologue:** _

_Brick crumbles in his fist, its red dust taken from his slowly unfurling fingers by the bay winds. Flames enshroud him but their burning touch leaves no mark on him. Kon takes a step forward, an iron girder whines underneath his foot. He steps over a body - an amalgamation of a woman and an orca. Kon paused, listening to his opponent’s shallow breaths whistling painfully through the gaps of her cracked teeth._

_Kon feels something soaking through the cracks in the worn soles of his sneakers. His toes are slick, the faint taste of iron coats his tongue with each breath. He remembers each blow delivered - one, two- three - Orca’s flesh and bones giving way to his measured violence. Kon’s fists moving on their own, each hit harder than the last, as haze filled his frantic mind._

_People scream. Or they cheer. He is not entirely sure and he certainly does not care. But their voices are loud - a cacophony of shouts and tears. Kon feels sudden exhaustion - his feet feel like he’s slogging through mud and muck, his legs feel hollow. He sits on the bottom loop of a giant, gilded letter “B.” He rests his cheek against the cooling metal._

_A woman - with rich umber skin and sweeping black curls - clasps his shoulders. She smiles, her eyes shimmering, wet. She thanks him over and over. Others join in, placing their hands where they respectfully can. Small arms wrap around his leg. Kon looks down and sees a child. She beams back up at him, small wrinkles framing her bright eyes._

_He smiles. No. He attempts to. His lips stretch and stretch over his teeth like a caged monkey baring its teeth; laughter erupts from his chest but it is more like a guttural bark._

_The people do not react. They continue to thank him. Their words a droning hum in his distracted ear._

_“It’s done...” a far-off voice calls, drowning out their praise. “Come home...”_

_Kon begins to stand. The girl’s embrace falls away; the people’s hands follow suit. They fan out in a semicircle around him._

_His body rises into the air in a graceful arc and falls until he lands in an alley._

_There is a large, looming man standing at its entrance. The area behind him is dark and yawning. The man lifts a cigarette to his lips, he takes a deep breath. He exhales and smoke rushes from his flared nostrils. He takes his cigarette - now a glowing nub - and presses into Kon’s temple. He laughs, watching as it fizzles out as he presses it to the filter._

_“Good job, kid,” the man says, flicking the bud away. His voice is like a metal fork caught in a garbage disposal - like a lightning bolt striking a sheet-metal roof. “Ya Pa’s got another job lined up for ya...” He takes Kon’s chin between his ash-flecked fingers; the smell of stale tobacco lingers on his lips as the man leans in close and kisses his temple. When he pulls away, Kon sees his tongue run across his lips, licking away the black ash._

_The man’s hand moves to squeeze his shoulder, guiding them towards the alleyway and towards the dark._

_~~~_

**One:**

Tim lay on his back, staring up through the makeshift canopy of corn stalks that stretched high towards a cloudless sky. A passing breeze - smelling slightly of manure and damp soil - rustled their emerald husks, underscored by the hungry lowing from the cows nearby. 

The moment Bruce uttered a reluctant, growly “yes” to the Kents invitation for Tim to stay at their farm, Alfred had all but shoved him onto their private jet that Saturday night. Before dawn, he landed in Kansas City. Ma Kent came to meet him, eager to show off her new pickup truck that Clark bought her. 

“Kon is so excited! Other than Cassie and Bartholomew, none of his other Titan friends have ever visited the farm!” she chirped as Tim pulled on his seatbelt. “I’ve baked a big ol’ strawberry pie for this occasion. Just hope the boys haven’t eaten it all…”

Tim politely chuckled. Kon and Bart could clear out a grocery store in minutes. He settled in for the drive, watching the flat, dark landscape from his window. 

They arrived with enough time for Ma and Pa to make it for church service two towns over, which meant Conner would spend most of Sunday morning finishing up his chores. Baling hay and milking Ol’ Bess did not pique his interest, so Tim opted to feed the chickens. Once Conner had his back turned, he upended the bucket in the middle of the barn and let the chickens feed themselves before taking refuge in the nearest corn field.

“Don’t you look cozy!”

Tim craned his neck back and Conner’s smiling face came into view. His boyfriend peered down at him through drugstore glasses. The heady scent of straw and salt filled nostrils as Conner leaned in for a quick kiss.

“I’m happy you’re here,” Conner quietly exclaimed, flopping down next to Tim, tossing a hand over his jeaned hips. “I love you, even though you are absolute shit when it comes to farmwork...”

Tim rolled his eyes. Without warning, he pulled Conner toward him, pressing their mouths together in a clumsy kiss. Conner started to laugh, sending vibrations like an electric charge straight through to his groin.

“Your grandparents won’t be back for a bit…” Tim said, his fingers already pulling at the buckle on Conner’s belt.

“W-wait,” his boyfriend mumbled, pulling back away. The half-Kryptonian looked down at him, his glasses hanging crookedly on the bridge of his wrinkled nose. “Um… d-don’t you want to talk about this?! I just told you that I love you!”

“I know and thank you but-” Tim heard himself say - his breathing ragged and hungry as he kicked off his own boots. “-let’s go for it?”

“Here?”

“Why not?”

Conner gestured wide, his lips forming into a lopsided smile. A few cows tilted their grass-covered heads in their direction, watching them with hollow eyes. Krypto sat in the very middle of the herd, lapping his genitals with vigorous enthusiasm.

“I’m sick of waiting,” sighed Tim as he watched Krypto with an odd mixture of jealousy and inspiration. Tim turned his gaze back onto Conner, his eyes tracing the boy’s muscular form, barely concealed under his faded flannel shirt and blue jeans. “Just let me be with you for my 18th birthday...”

“In the middle of a cornfield…?”

“Toni Morrison would be so proud.”

“Look, I’m reading _Beloved_ next semester, but can we just go to my room-”

“And have Ma and Pa walk in on us?” Tim replied, pulling Conner’s shirt over his head. 

“Or the barn is-”

“-where you and Cassie made ‘memories,’” Tim muttered. “Hawaii too. The entire state is scorched earth.” He peeled off his own socks and slid his boxers and jeans off from his slender legs in one fluid motion. His manhood bobbing in the balmy summer air and he scrambled forward and took hold of Conner’s sneakers and yanked them off, before making quick work of his boyfriend’s jeans. 

“Goddamn it, Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne...” Conner muttered under his breath, tossing his jeans and shirt aside. Tim wasted no time. He practically pounced, cupping Conner’s half-formed erection through his boxer briefs. It was hot to the touch. Tim drew a sharp breath, his jaw twitching as a pleasure hissed escaped from between his clenched teeth. Conner reached out, clasping his arms around Tim’s shoulders. “Are you s-sure?”

He held his gaze for a moment. Then, Tim nodded, slipping his fingers over the waistband of Kon’s underwear. He slowly sank to his knees, feeling the pebbles and cornstalk clipping digging into the skin of his knees as he pulled Conner’s underwear around the boy’s ankles.

His lips twitched as they parted - Tim stretched the tip of his tongue between his trembling teeth. He lapped at the clear liquid gathered in the slit and grimaced. It was just like what he read online - precum was salty, fairly bitter. Like saline and old coffee. He suppressed his gag reflex, suckling the head between his flush lips, carefully peeling back the foreskin. Tim smiled, his suckling lips causing Conner groaned, crushing a cornstalk in his fist as he tried to steady himself.

“God, T-Tim.”

“Just ‘Tim’ is fine.” His joke earned him a strained chuckle. He pulled away, a thin string of saliva formed an arc between the full of his bottom lip and Kon’s prepuce. Tim wiped it away, leaving a translucent trail across the back of his wrist. 

Tim loved Conner. 

And Conner finally loved him back. 

He closed his eyes, letting the world fade away as Conner’s taste filled the cavern of his inquisitive mouth.

~~~

Tim felt a hand on his shoulder - an anchor tethering him to the waking world. He blinked against the golden rays of a setting sun. A dark silhouette hovered near the corner of his eye. He sat up quickly, wincing as his joints ached from laying in the dirt.

“Mr. Kent?!” he shrieked. He thanked the stars that he was mostly dressed. Jonathan had his back to him, allowing the boy to slip back into the rest of his clothes. “How did you-”

“Please,” the old man grumbled, twisting the brim of his Sunday hat in his wizened hands. “You think you the only teenagers to make whoopee in a cornfield…” Tim yelped as he yanked a finger that got tangled in his shoelace. Superman’s own father talking about sex as if it he was speaking about the weather. 

“While you at it, grab that lil’ knuckle-head’s things and let’s get back to the house,” ordered Jonathan, his back still to him as he began to make his way toward the house in the distance. 

Tim made a beeline to Conner’s room, tossing his clothing onto his still unmade bed before heading to the shower. A few minutes later and he managed to wash out the last of the husk from his dark hair. 

Then, he attempted to casually stroll into the kitchen where the Kents were already sitting at the table.

A man crooned out an old country song over the crackle of the radio. Pa cut his fried eggs with the edge of his fork, his eyes glued to the sports section of the Sunday paper. Ma wore a bright blue dress, dotted with tiny white birds taking flight, her grey mane was piled into a neat bun. Tim slid into the seat beside her. She tipped several flapjacks onto his plate from the still sizzling skillet.

“Where’d you two even get to?” Ma asked as she pushed the syrup towards Tim’s outstretched fingers. “Conner’s chores were all done but then we found some of the chickens squabbling over some feed by the barn…”

“I found ‘em in the dang fields,” Pa muttered, shoveling a forkful into his mouth. “...and all on the Lord’s Day.” He muttered that last bit a little more softly, a faint hint of the smile grace his thin lips as he winked at Tim over the fold of his paper.

“‘Bout time,” his wife tittered as she cut into her stack. “But don’t you go acting like you’ve never found a few straws in your knickers too, Jonathan!”

Pa choked, bits of egg sputtering from his gasping lips. He clutched at the spot above his heart, wrinkling his overly starched shirt. Tim slid further down into his seat, the tips of his ears burning. He wondered briefly if it was too late to ask Alfred to come out and get him.

“Um, where is Conner?” he asked, cutting into his waffle with his fork. Ma and Pa paused and glanced at each other - the wrinkled brows creasing even deeper.

The singing stopped and a woman’s crisp tone could be heard over the radio. The Kents stopped:

_…in national news, the hero known as Superboy was seen fighting Orca today, after the supervillain attempted to rob the First Bank of Metropolis. Their tussle resulted in the building’s destruction, but thankfully, no one was hurt..._

“Well, that answers that…!” Jonathan declared, taking hold of his mug and lifting it into the air. “Another round, iff’in you so please, Ma…”

~~~

_He soft panting fills the bedroom as Mannheim shoves himself deeply into his pliant body. Kon wraps his arms around his broad shoulders, uttering soft cries with each thrust. His mind is a fog of lust. He whines each time the brute’s tip brushes against his prostate (or what he thinks is his prostate. Who knows with his half-alien anatomy?)._

_It is a welcome change from the violent blows he receives from the villains he is ordered to subdue._

_But a small part of him lingers on thoughts of betrayal. A teenage boy’s face flickers in his mind. But it is odd? Kon-El’s body belongs to Lex Luthor. No,_ **_all_ ** _of Kon-El belongs to Lex Luthor above all else. He owes no one anything else._

_His orgasm builds, Kon tosses any worries he has aside. His fingers dig into Mannheim’s muscular back as he arches, throwing his head back, his mouth wide open in a silent cry. His partner grunts, his body trembles and hips knocking roughly against Kon as he empties himself into his deepest parts._

_“F-fuck…” Mannheim stutters as he rests his sweaty brow against his throat._

_“Payment received…” the digital voice echoes from a crack in the door. Kon reaches out and pushes the man off of him with little effort. Ignoring the indignant protests, he stands and strides from the room, naked and glistening from their encounter._

_“Mission complete…” he calls as he approaches the living room, blinking against the iridescent light cast of a wall of monitors that illuminate Lex’s silhouette. He lingers in the doorway, unashamed of his state and his mind only eager to serve._

_Lex rises, eclipsing the monitors’ glare. His father’s footfalls fill his ears as he makes his way to him. Kon sighs gently as he feels Lex’s fingers cup his face, tilting his chin upward beneath his piercing gaze._

_“You reek,” Lex sneers between sharp, gleaming teeth. Kon feels the pads of his fingers digging into his jaw. “Go shower and rest up. We will have more work to do soon enough.”_

_“Yes, sir…” he hears himself say. Kon puts one foot in front of the other and finds himself in the bathroom. He showers quickly, wiping his own semen from his stomach and grimacing at the feeling Mannheim’s leavings trickle down the back of his thighs._

_As the water cascades over him, the same teenage boy’s smiling face flashes across his mind’s eye. Kon growls, pressing his hands against the tiled wall until it cracks. He shakes his soaking head until the boy’s image disperses like water down the drain._

~~~

Gulab Jumun in Colombo. Jollof with plantain in Lagos. Bouillon tèt kabrit in Petionville.

Bart’s body trembled with hunger as he pumped his spindly legs across the globe, fueling his quest with all the street food he could stomach.

Kon was fast - _slightly_ faster. The moment the Titan’s got a “ping” on his location, Kid Flash would race off, only to find nothing but a battle zone in Kon's wake. 

Raven fared no better. And for Trigon’s sake, that witch could teleport.

Bart sighed, pressing on as he began his tenth lap over the Indian Ocean. Running was what he was good at and it was what he would do. He would keep going until he found his friend.

Brain’s now-defunct nest in North York. Grood’s abandoned haven in Harare. Dr. Cale’s secret lab in London. Nothing. God. Bart ran everywhere his feet could take him. Kid Flash pushed himself as he crossed the Pacific Ocean, racing east until San Francisco’s skyline came into view.

Bart slowed as he approached The Tower, great arcs of soil and rock rising as he finally came to a stop in front of the main entrance where Robin was waiting for him. Tim’s brow furrowed deeply beneath his mask as he tapped a gloved finger against the back of his tablet.

“Anything?” Tim asked, his voice even and low.

“Nah,” Bart gasped in reply between heaving pants. He swept away the sweaty, umber mop of curls from his eyes. “Cale hasn’t used that place since the last Silver Swan incident. Sorry, dude...”

Robin nodded. He tucked his tablet into the crook of his arm and headed back inside. Bart scrambled after him, the sounds of their footfalls echoing in the silence that stretched between them. 

They entered the tower and made their way to the kitchen. Bart flopped onto the seat by the island and rested his chin on the cool marble. Tim placed an oily paper bag in front of his face.

“I got these for you. Recharge and rest up.”

Bart opened the greasy bag and found several donuts. He snapped one up, gobbling it down. Cinnamon sugar and fried dough coated his lips but it all tasted like ash. Again, he failed to find Kon-El. Heat pin-pricked the corners of his eyes as he choked down another donut and it landed hard in the uneasy sloshing pit that was his stomach.

“We might have to assume the worst,” he heard Tim say. But Bart tuned him out. Seeking a distraction from the mutual loved one’s possible death, he snatched up the tablet from Tim’s grasp. His sugar-coated fingers, tapped against the sleep button as it flashed to life.

“Kon is just _fine,_ ” the speedster muttered, sucking his teeth in protest. “Worse case, he’s off world or in another dimension…”

He idly (but quickly!) browsed the news feed for Central City Citizen, only allowing himself to smile when he saw Aunt Iris several articles on the top page. He switched over to _The Scene’s_ web page and watched a few of Linda’s interview videos. Today’s guest was Cat Grant - Main Editor for the Daily Planet’s Arts & Entertainment section.

Bart half-listened to Tim’s scolding as he continued to shove more fried dough into his mouth and troll for gossip. Cat showed some exclusive images for Daily Planet’s digital edition: _Oliver Queen throwing chardonnay on a corrupt State Senator, Dick Grayson eating in Big Belly Burger with his adopted father Bruce Wayne, and -_

And then, he saw it.

“You need to eat slower-”

“Tim!” he shouted, waving the tablet in front of his friend’s masked face. “L-look! LOOK!”

It was a picture of Bruno Mannheim - his massive girth barely contained in a poorly tailored, pinstriped suit. He had his arm wrapped around the shoulders of some bleached-out blond in a threadbare tank top and jean shorts. The poor thing look

Robin wrinkled his nose and pushed the tablet away.

“Bart, he’s not my type...”

“Look! At the boy! Look!” he hissed, silencing his protest with a wild wave of his hand. He carefully zoomed in on the image, enhancing the unfortunate soul that was the gangster’s date for the evening.

“Is...is that…” stammered Tim, snatching the device from Bart’s grasp.

~~~

It took three calls: one to Bruce to dig up information on an escort service as Matches Malone; one to Barbara to trace an offshore account payments sent to Intergang’s latest hidden hovel in Metropolis; and one to Kal meet him in Metropolis.

They met near the nearest Zeta Tube, concealed with an old telephone booth.

“Are you sure Bruce and Babara’s intel is good?” asked Kal as he followed Robin down the street.

“What are you evening saying?”

“I’m sorry,” Kal replied, tone sheepish. “You’re right…”

Condemned buildings stood like crumbling tombstones - a testament to urban decay - but they were abandoned. The streets were mostly empty, save for several sex workers vetting clients on the corner up the block.

He led them up the length of the block before stopping by an old tenement building. Its windows were all boarded up, its door peeling with paint, mounted on thoroughly rusted hinges. An elderly woman sat on the stoop, organizing the contents of her shopping cart.

“The tip _is_ good. This one is lined with lead,” Kal growled under his breath. “And they must be using some kind of Apokolips tech to prevent me from using my other senses. I can’t hear what’s going on either…” He wiggled the tip of his pinky in his ear, screwing up his face in an expression that Tim would have found cute if not for their situation.

“Does someone live here?” Robin asked the woman as they approached. She looked up at through wizened eyes, her expression neutral as she scratched her dirt-smattered chin. Tim reached into his utility belt and pulled a few dollar bills from a pouch. He held it up for her to see. 

The woman chuckled.

“In this building?” she replied. “Sometimes. And I mean, sometimes it’s here. Sometimes it ain’t.”

“What… do you mean?” he pressed, fishing out a few more bills.

“I mean, sometimes that building is really there and sometimes it ain’t. Ain’t nothing but a patch of dirt. But yeah - some bald asshole lives in there,” she said, pulling her ragged blanket around her shoulders. “Only seen him once or twice. Always bringing other men with him.”

“But what about this man?” Superman offered. He pulled the picture of Bruno and Conner out of the pocket in his cape and gave it to the old woman. She peered at it through her beady eyes for a moment before passing it back.

“Yeah, I may have seen him…” she replied. The old woman held out her hand and Robin quickly slipped the money into it.

“I have seen that big guy a bunch too. And I’ve also seen that boy,” she muttered, stuffing her reward into her many shirts. “Poor thing comes and goes with some of the roughest johns I’ve ever seen. Mean-looking motherfuckers…”

“And are they in there now, ma’am?” Superman asked, his tone desperate.

The old woman pulled herself up, bones creaking, from her stoop. She wrapped her wrinkled hands around the handlebar of her shopping cart and pushed her cart down the dingy street.

Tim watched her go until she turned a corner.

They rounded the building, cutting through the side alley, where they found a steel bolted security door with a buzzer.

The two exchanged more curious looks. Slowly, Robin leaned in and pressed the button.

“Hello?” Robin spoke into the box. There was a loud crackling for a few moments before a gruff voice broke through the static.

“Please, come in,” Mannheim’s deep voice spoke over the whine and screech of the speaker. A buzzer sounded and the door swung open, creaking on its hinges.

~~~

_A touch. He feels it - small warmth pressing gently against his shoulder. Sleep’s veil slowly peels back. Kon’s eyes flutter open. He sees his Father’s smile - that same smile, full of white, glistening teeth._

_“Come,” Lex commands. His fingers press harder as if to crush bone - as if to break his skin. There is no pain but a faint sensation of fear filling the boy’s belly all the same as he complies._

~~~

The interior nothing like the exterior - gilded sconces lined the walls, illuminating the floral Victorian wallpaper; a persian runner ran down the length of the corridor’s polished, hardwood floor.

“Swanky,” Robin muttered dryly as they passed an armoire that was possibly older than Gotham itself. Kal kept quiet, his eyes glowing faintly in the darkness as he attempted to scan their surroundings. 

At the end of the long hall, a door creaked opened revealing a tall, broad shouldered man in a cheap suit. He waved at them. Robin and Kal exchanged looks.

“Behind me,” he heard Kal whisper. Robin simply nodded and fell in step behind him as he pressed onward.

“Gentlemen!” Mannheim’s voice thundered from just beyond the doorway. “Come and join us!”

“Jackal!” snarled Superman, pushing his henchmen into the doorframe as he rushed inside.

“Wait!” Robin hissed. He barely had one foot in the room when he felt a great force hit him like an anvil. Kal cried out as he fell to the floorboard, wood splintering upon contact. Robin felt his own knees buckled from an invisible, immense weight and soon found himself lying flat on his stomach. He cried, straining to lift his too-heavy head. He barely raised his chin an inch high before it slammed back down.

“Good job, kid...” Mannheim’s deep tenor reverberated painfully amidst the blood pounding in his ears. He felt something digging into his ribs, a sharp pain blossomed in his side and Robin felt himself lifted into the air, his body twisting before he landed on his back with a hard thud. Mannheim towered above, sneering down at him with white, gleaming teeth and piercing eyes. He was looming - much more broad and imposing than Page Nine’s picture had presented - as his massive frame strained against his black suit.

“Well, ain’t you cute?” he jeered, smoothing a wrinkle from his jacket. “How many sidekicks do you think Batman’s gone through?”

Soft falls echoed in the distance as a pair of well-polished wing-tipped oxfords and a pair of fresh sneakers came into Robin’s blurry view.

“I estimate six or seven,” came a familiar, lazy drawl from above.

“L-Luthor….?!” Robin heard Kal growl. “You…!” 

“Yes, it is _I_ …” Lex stated indifferently. “I had a feeling that you’d find your way here eventually. Especially since _someone_ decided to parade around town with my best asset.”

Mannheim chuckled, causing his partner to sigh exasperatedly. 

Without warning, Lex stepped forward, stopping when the tips of his shoes were inches from Kal’s nose.

“While it was so kind of you to drop by, even at this incredibly late hour,” he sneered. Lex kicked out his leg, the toe of his shoe catching Kal’s face. “I hope you know that I am still a very busy man…”

Kal answered his half-strangled roar. His muscles rippled as he tried to reach for Luthor through Kon’s crushing telekinetic field.

“Kon-El, let up your TTK and give them _some_ breathing room...”

“Yes, Father…”

Robin felt the pressure leave his body as he and Kal struggled to push themselves up. Air filled his lungs as he greedily sucked up every breath he could.

As his vision cleared, he saw Kon fully - his hair tousled, dressed in pajamas and sneakers. All of which suggested that he had been roused from sleep. He did not acknowledge them, as Kon cast an indifferent gaze that filled him with dread.

“I need a moment,” spoke Lex, waving his hand dismissively in Kon’s direction. “Take a seat but be ready…”

Soundlessly, Kon-El floated over to Mannheim, who reached out and pulled the boy into his lap. In response, the boy wrapped his arms around his neck, placing several kisses along the man’s bearded jawline.

“This is a good boy you’ve made, Supes,” the gangster crowed, drumming his fingers along the plane of Kon’s pajama-covered thigh. “Ain’t that right, sweetheart?”

“Cut that out!” Lex snapped, his expression thunderous. Mannheim rolled his eyes and released Kon. 

“W-why are you doing this?” Superman demanded, propping himself up on his elbows. _His skin resembled the color of pea soup_ , Robin thought.

Lex’s brow wrinkled, causing the skin on his hairless brow to ripple upward like water on a pond. He sighed again in an exaggerated and weary manner as he moved to stand by his son..

“Because I’m broke,” he finally replied, his fingers running through his son’s black curls. “I no longer can legally run my own company. Multiple governments froze my remaining assets. And I technically can’t touch a computer or my parole officer will hear about it. It’s all a bother.”

Lex released Kon from his touch, moving across the room to a lavishly stocked bar. He poured himself two fingers of a dark liquor, taking several long sips before turning his attention to his captive audience once again.

“I need money,” hre continued. “Do you remember last week when the First Bank of Metropolis on 3rd was destroyed in that fight between Orca and Superboy?”

“What about it?” mumbled Robin, finally able to pull himself to his feet. He wobbled wildly, gripping his knees as he violently lurched forward.

“I netted $25 million dollars from part of the insurance payout,” Lex answered, his smile wide. “This is a lucrative business model.”

“So, you’re using a boy’ for insurance fraud?!” Superman shouted, his voice ringing throughout the room.

“Mostly.”

“How could you?!”

“You’re right, Man Of Steel,” Lex returned, lifting a single brow. “There are quite a number of potential perverts with deep pockets that would be very willing to spend an hour or two with our boy… But, I thought it would be better for everyone, if we mostly utilized his core competencies.” He made an abortive gesture, choosing to finish his drink instead.

“What is _wrong_ with you?” Kal growled, pulling his trembling fingers into quaking fists. Robin reached out, catching his elbow as Kal made to move forward but the alien shook him off. “How can you call Kon _your_ son and treat him like this?!”

“Weren’t you listening to me, you idiot?” shouted Lex, liquor sloshing over his fingers. He made a rude gesture as he gulped down the glass’s remaining contents before slamming the now empty glass onto the coffee table. “I. NEED. MONEY.”

“How low have you sunk, you-”

“Oh, don’t get high-and-mighty with me, alien! This is your fault-”

“First, Lena - your own daughter! And now Kon-El-”

“Don’t talk me about being a father-”

They continued to shout at each other. Tim watched Kon, who sat quietly on the sidelines with a bored expression.

If Lex needed money, then he would oblige.

“I’ll buy him!” Robin shouted.

Lex and Kal fell silent, their eyes falling on him.

“You can’t be serious, kid.”

“Cash is ok, right?” he stammered, reaching behind his cape. He produced an overstuffed pack and unzipped it. Several stacks of bills fell from it and hit the floor with a thump. “That’s $25,000 dollars. And there is more where that came from, trust me...”

Luthor began to laugh - Robin could feel the man’s cackling reverberating in his molars as he pulled his own lips into a thin, tight line.

“It’s gonna cost ten times that!”

“And I can get it. No problem...” 

Lex stopped laughing then as his eyes narrowed in on the band of cash lying at his feet. He stooped and plucked it up. As he turned it over in his fingers, the man's face split into a cruel smile.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A plan is set in motion as Bruce calls in a favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: 5/20/2020 - I beta'd this chapter and added an additional parts towards the end. I felt it was too short in comparison to the other parts.
> 
> WARNING: Light cannibalism as Mannheim is a canonical cannibal. It's nothing crazy but it's in here. So...
> 
> Also, Talia is pre-Morrison Talia. So, she like actually still cares about other people, especially youth and children and hates people who abuses them. She's just an eco-terrorist hellbent on destroying corporations and corrupt governments but not about murdering innocents (unlike her pops who is very much "break those eggs to make that omelet.).

**Two:**

When he and Superman came to, they found Nightwing and Spoiler hovering over them in an alleyway. A few sutures, some painkillers, and several hours of lamp generated sunlight later, they were mostly back on their feet. 

Mostly.

“The swelling should go down in a few hours, young master,” Alfred sighed. Tim winced as the butler gently pressed an ice pack against his bruised cheek. “You are lucky to have survived.”

“Thank you, Alfred…” he replied quietly. The sounds of angry munching drew his attention to the small table near their bed. Tim spotted Kal, hunched over and shoveling forkfuls of pie into his frowning mouth. The corners of his mouth twitched as Superman devoured his fourth slice, as he ate his feelings. 

“You two should have waited for backup!” Bruce’s voice rang throughout the cave. The bats scattered from their roost, shrieking as Tim’s father stalked towards them. His cape flapped around him like his hero’s namesake. Bruce’s face was a canvas of fury - his brows furrowed like a planter’s field, lips pulled tight and thin. Shivers pinpricked Tim’s skin as he approached. But thankfully, Dick was on their father’s heels, pleading calm (which went ignore!). 

Alfred slid another piece of pie onto Kal’s plate before slinking off. Tim did not blame him.

“Like  _ you  _ ever wait for backup _ , _ ” Kal muttered hotly under his breath, ignoring Bruce’s glares as he stopped at his side. Then, more quietly, the Kryptonian offered a half-whispered an apology: “Sorry. It was stupid.”

“ _ Profoundly _ stupid…!”

“Seriously, guys, you could have been killed,” Dick chided gently, as he approached his brother. “And, please don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t get why they didn’t…?”

“‘Cause killing us would have brought the wrath of the League,” Kal groused, between his last bites. “Right now, Lex just wants money for his next ridiculous plot. So, he’s using Kon to stage superhero-villain clashes while his patrons rob some other site nearby or defraud insurance companies.”

“Talk about convoluted,” Dick chuckled nervously. “Kind of smart though.”

“I don’t think we can just show up and give Kon-El a ‘helping hand’ either,” Kal continued to explain. With a satisfied sigh, he pushed back from the table and floated to his feet. “And whatever control Lex is using seems pretty tight. Rao knows what he might do if we try to take him.”

“We’re sorry, Bruce...” Tim apologized. “I know we messed up but we really need to get him back.”

His father regarded him coolly.

“What do you mean? No one - other than his opponent - has been hurt in these so-called fights.”

Suddenly, Tim’s throat felt tight as his eyes darted toward an equally fretful looking Kal-El. Lex was a liar, right? He would have said anything to hurt Kal, even if it was a heinous lie. But could he have been lying about  _ that _ as well? But all he could see was Mannheim’s hands pawing at Kon’s body and expressionless face. Lex had done the unthinkable before and social mores be damned if they got in between him and his goals. Tim chewed his lip as he bitterly recalled how Lex used his own infant daughter in his fight to control Vril Dox.

“Timmy…?” Dick’s concerned tone broke through his reverie. 

It was then he realized that he stopped breathing. His knuckles were white as he gripped the ice pack in his hands. 

“W-we j-just have to get him back,” Tim half-whispered. “So, please…”

“And we will go after them,” reassured Dick, clasping his shoulders. “We would never leave Kon behind, I promise…”

He tried to smile at his brother’s kind words but his jaw protested. 

“Spoiler said their hideout had been gutted, which means they went underground,” Bruce’s spoke, his tone thawed. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t find them again.”

“And we will contact you, Supes, when you do. I think it’s best if you get back to Lois.”

The Kryptonian nodded. He allowed Dick to escort him to the exit, leaving Tim alone with his father.

“Spare the lecture, ok?” he protested as Bruce reached to help him from the bed. “I-I need a shower and a nap and -”

“Tim.” 

He felt Bruce’s hands on his upper arms, slowly pulling him back. 

Like ants on his skin, tears crept over the crests of his cheeks. Tim’s knees buckled as he leaned into his father’s chest. Bruce had his arms around him, holding him tightly as he sobbed.

~~~

_ “Such a paltry offer. Insulting...” Lex grouses, as he examines the wad of bills. Kon turns away to watch Mannaheim’s thugs work over Robin and Superman. They kick at them, cackling whenever they elicit a pained grunt. He wills his feet to move but they do not. A scream blossoms and wilts on his tongue. _

_ “K-Kon!” Robin shouts. His mask was slightly torn, revealing a single blue eye. His gaze is pleading. A small pain blooms in the back of Kon’s head, like sudden, violent fireworks. It feels heavy and, ironically, alien.  _

_ “Do… I…” he stammers against the increasing lightning building in his brain. “Do I… do w-we…”  _

_ His words are incoherent, but they are enough to set Superman off in a rage. The Kryptonian thrashes even harder, pushing at the men as he shouts at Kon to run.  _

_ And then, Lex crashes his decanter across the Kryptonian’s face and Kon’s words disintegrate between the space of his brain and his tongue. His lips now unmoving, face still - the words unspoken continue to loop over and over again as he watches dark liquor trickle down the hero’s cheek and neck. _

_ “Get yourself to the lab, you little idiot…!” he hears Lex hiss at him. “And get these two out of here now!” _

_ One foot in front of the other, glass crunches underfoot as Kon heads towards the door just as a faint green light envelopes the room. He wobbles a bit but manages to make it out. The shouts and cries of his Father’s captives are a cacophony ringing in his ears. _

~~~

Under the neon lights, Jason slips his lighter into his shivering hand and lights cigarette. Rain falls over Lawrence Hills as he huddles underneath a gaudy awning, watching the entrance of a boarded-up storefront. After pocketing his lighter, he pulled a folded paper from his pocket, using it to shield himself from the cameras.

He pretended to read the headlines, noting that Ridge Ferrick, Intergang's shell company, recently made its debut in television and media as WGBS’s second largest and newest stockholder. Vincent and Morgan Edge - co-owners - stood alongside Bruno Mannheim. All three sported “shit-eating” grins - their teeth the only clean thing about them. Jason winked, taking a picture of the article with his cybernetic contacts before sending it off.

“When you said you needed a favor,” he grumbled into his comm-device, pulling the paper higher across his face. “I didn’t know you’d be sending me to Central City on a Tuesday night. Between the turbulence and this shithole, I don’t know which is worse...”

“Focus,” came Bruce’s terse reply. 

“Yeah, yeah…” he grumbles, flicking ash from the sleeve of his leather coat. “Ready to go.”

“And your backup?”

“On her way. But, again, I could do this alone, B.”

“No. I do not want either of you going solo on this.”

“Fine. Still don’t know how you talked her into this...”

Bruce made a dismissive noise.

“She was already in Central City on ‘business’ and I had several favors I wanted to cash in...”

It was Jason’s turn to laugh. 

“And what does  _ she _ want in exchange?” There was a pause, the sounds of night rain filling the stretching silence as he wanted for Bruce’s reply.

“...a family dinner.”

Jason bit the inside of his cheek to keep from cackling. He took one final drag of his cigarette to compose himself, then he put it out on Mannheim’s face.

“It’s now or never,” he mumbled, before tossing the paper into the trash. “Heading inside.”

“Call me if anything happens. Barry can be there-”

“If you say, ‘in a flash,’ I swear to God…” 

No reply came. Opening his umbrella, Jason crossed over to the storefront and slipped into the alleyway beside it. Immediately, he spotted a homeless woman rummaging through a shopping cart about halfway down.

“Shouldn’t snoop, kid...” she called as he drew near. She did not bother to look at him as she was preoccupied with an empty can. “Might find yourself looking up at the roof of the church…”

“Been there, done that,” Jason returned with a wistful sigh. “I got an appointment”

“Very nice. And the finder’s fee?” 

Grinning, Jason pulled a wad of cash and stuffed it into an old can the woman was examining rather intensely. She chuckled, revealing what little teeth she had left. 

The woman pocketed the money and tossed the can back into her cart. Slowly, she reached out a decrepit hand and placed it against the brick wall. A faint light began to glow between the cemented cracks, and with a low rumble the bricks slid apart, revealing a red metal door. 

“We have a guest.”

The view-port slid open, revealing a pair of bleary, brown eyes. They narrowed as they scanned Jason’s form.

“Credentials?”

Jason held open his jacket’s collar, pointing to a pin emblazoned with a jackal’s head on a crescent moon. The doorman gasped, and then there were the sounds of locks hurriedly opening.

“I was told there would be two-”

“And she will join us shortly,” Jason interjected, waving dismissively. He was about to shove pass when he felt something hard pressing on his lower back. 

“Manners…” 

He glanced over his shoulder - the old woman had a revolver pressed against his spine. 

“Apologies,” Jason replied with a smile. “I work for very impatient, overly cautious people...”

“You serve your demon and we serve ours,” she chirped. The old woman smiled revealing well kept teeth despite her outward appearance. “You walk straight down the hall, no turns, no stops.”

Jason shook his head. She fell back and the doorman moved aside. As he closed his umbrella and stepped in, he noted that it was as Tim and Kal described: gaudy lighting, matronly wallpaper and an equally tacky rug lining the length of the corridor. 

As he passed the armoire, he sensed he was close. At the end of the corridor was a sliver of light near the floor. Just when he thought he reached a dead end, the wall slid up and away, revealing a parlor room with a drawing table. And there, bald head thrown back as he downed a rather strong-smelling drink, sat Lex Luthor. 

He only noticed Jason when he bottomed-out, squinting at him through the tumbler. 

“Apologies,” he mumbled, wiped his mouth on a pocket square as he set his glass aside. “You’re a bit early.” 

Jason wrinkled his nose.

“Smells like paint thinner,” he groused, stepping fully into the room. “I thought you liked to keep a clear head.”

“Even a mind such as mine needs a break,” chuckled Lex, his words slightly slurring. “And again, you are  _ early _ and  _ alone _ .”

“It’s protocol-”

“-to get yourself killed...?” With a snap of his fingers, Jason is covered instantly in tiny dots of red light. 

“Do not kill my subordinate, Alexander,’” came a lilting voice from somewhere behind him. An olived-skinned woman with sweeping dark-brown hair brushed passed Jason into the room. “Or I will be forced to take our very deep pockets elsewhere...”

The laser sights disappeared and Jason let himself breathe again. Talia was stunning - wearing a long dark purple trench with a matching skirt that gently swished as she moved. Her dark hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. 

“Thank you for finally gracing us with your presence, Ms. Al Ghul…” their host grunted, not bothering to stand. 

“Happy to oblige. And ‘Talia’ is fine.” She tossed her Birkin at Jason, who scrambled to catch it. Then, with waiting for an invitation from their clearly inebriated host, she took the seat across from Lex. Talia then gestured at a bewildered Jason to do the same. 

“We are here because we have a matter of great urgency,” she began, smoothing the wrinkles from her skirt. “Cale Industries has developed a growth agent for industrial crop production and the League wants it. However, we are facing some rather annoying competition from Dr. Isley. She turned several negotiators into rare trees...”

Lex chuckled.

“You’d think you eco-terrorists would get along.”

“She uses nature to rid the world of humans.  _ We _ use nature to humble them.”

Their host hummed thoughtfully, twisting his now empty glass between his fingers. Again, he waved his free hand at the security camera, a servant trotted into the parlor with a laptop, and placed it in front of him. 

“The $25 million payment must be made in full,” Lex explained as keyed in an address. “But, I must warn you, there is a six month wait.” 

“Unless…?”

He smiled as he slid the laptop toward Talia.

“It’s an additional five million for each rung of the ladder....”

“And how many rungs would you say there are?”

“How much sooner would you like this done?”

Talia and Jason exchanged amused smiles as the servant hurried over to present them both with the laptop. She quickly typed in a figure that would even make Bruce sweat. Then, she tapped the enter key.

“Pleasure doing business with you...” Lex snorted, tone smug as the accepted icon flashed on the screen. The parlor door opened and a servant gestured for them to leave. “We’ll be ready whenever you are. Until then, kindly see yourselves out.”

Neither of them needed to be told twice and once outside, they climbed into the car waiting for them.

“Cuttin’ it close, huh?” Jason sighed, as they drove off. “I really didn’t want another trip to the pit.”

“Lex knows better than to hurt my people, my little Jaybird…” she purred, gently pinching his cheeks. Jason tried to frown at his infantilization, but the corners of his lips betrayed him. “I do apologize for my lateness. I was meeting my sister for lunch. Nyssa is well, by the way.” 

“Glad to hear it,” he groused, failing to move out of Talia’s reach. “And I hope you had fun spending B’s money.” 

“He just has so much,” she returned. “I am sure he won’t miss any of it.”

The car slowed to a stop by a subway station. Jason rested Talia’s purse on the seat and he moved to open the door.

“Seriously, thanks, Tal…” he uttered quietly, staring out of the window. “I will make sure Bruce will pay you back.” 

She laughed, her voice tinkling like a bell, as she shook her dark head.

“Just tell my beloveds that I will see them soon,” she cooed. “You know how I do enjoy Alfred’s cooking. And do you think my little one would like a new sword or a portable gaming system?”

“Damian doesn’t need any more toys… but he will be very happy to see you.”

Talia smiled brightly and tapped his nose with a well-manicured finger.

~~~

_ Even under Lex’s sway, Kon is still annoyed with the revealing outfit he has been forced to wear. It’s Supergirl’s old costume - the one with the crop top and a skirt barely covers the bottom of his rear. The cheap blonde wig makes his scalp itch but Kon sits on the corner of the bed as Morgan Edge circles him like a jungle cat. _

_ “God, you are beautiful,” the man murmurs, licking his thin lips. “Even more beautiful than the Maiden of Might herself…”  _

_ “Thank you,” comes Kon’s robotic reply. Morgan Edge’s hand grasps his chin and pulls him towards him. He presses kiss after overly exaggerated kiss against his lips. _

_ “I have you now Kara Zor-El…” Morgan half-whispers, his free hand moving to push the hem of the skirt higher up on his thighs. “You can’t escape…!” _

_ “Oh, someone, please help me,” he sighs.  _

_ “You got it…!” _

_ A gunshot rings out. Morgan's face is gone and replaced with nothing but viscera from the neck up. Kon blinks through the blood, bone, and brain splattered across his face as he watches Morgan’s corpse wetly crumple to the ground.  _

_ “Yeah, it’s done,” Mannheim laughs into his phone as he prods what’s left of Morgan with his shotgun. “They’ll need dental records for Morgan. And the old man closed the deal before his swan dive from the studio’s roof.”  _

_ “Excellent.” _

_ Kon feels the man peeling flesh from his cheek. His eyes linger on Morgan's headless corpse as he listens to his ‘rescuer’ suckle his bloodied fingers.  _

_ “Goddamn that’s delicious…!” Mannheim crows, picking more gristle from his passive face. Then, the man leans in, running his rough tongue against Kon's cheek as he laps up whatever viscera he can. _

_ “I am leaving…” Lex growls. “I’d rather not listen to you pick Edge out of your teeth.” _

_ “Or fuck your son.” It’s then that Kon turns and stares at Mannheim just as Lex barrages him with a string of profanity. It goes on for a minute before the man ends the call. _

_ “Alright, cutie, come to Bruno…” Mannheim calls to him, undeterred. _

_ Kon rises from his perch and walks into his open embrace. The man’s fingers trace his panty line, snapping at the elastic, until they hook themselves underneath the waistband and pull them down to his ankles in one fluid motion. Instinctively, Kon steps out of them. He watches as Mannheim presses the red fabric against his ruddy nose and breathes deeply.  _

_ “For a rainy day,” the man grins and tucks the panties into his jacket pocket. His knees creek as he stands. Mannheim draws him close again, his warm breath tickling Kon’s ears as he whispers: “Let’s take a shower while the cleaners handle this. And then, your Pa’s got a new job for us…” _

_ Kon does what he always does. He complies. _

~~~

Bruce never considered himself religious, but he likened his first morning coffee to a divine ambrosia. He sipped quietly, spreading the morning edition of the Gotham Gazette out on the table. The story-above-the-fold detailed Catowman’s latest caper as she ran off with the majority of the Gems of the World exhibit on display in Central City. His left shoulder ached, knowing that he would have a matching scar if he dared to ask for their return.

As he reached for the coffee pot, a headline caught his eye: 

_ Galaxy Communication’s Father-Son Telecomm Duo Found Dead in Murder-Suicide  _

_ Sunday, June 28th. Metropolis, DE.  _

_ Metropolis Police Departed reported that former CEO and President of Galaxy Communications (GC) - Vincent Edge - may have killed his son, Morgan Edge, the CFO of GC, after discovering highly disturbing content on his son’s personal drives. After shooting his son, Vincent was witnessed to have jumped from the top of their corporate headquarters. In the horrifying wake of their deaths, the newly appointed C.E.O. of Ridge Ferrick has been tapped to take the wheel for WGBS- _

The quiet shuffling of feet caught his attention. Bruce peered over the rim of his coffee mug and saw Tim staring at him from the other end of the table. 

“Good morning,” he greeted, watching carefully as his son took a seat. 

“Mornin’,” replied Tim as he crossed his arm. “I know you’re going to Cale-Anderson today.”

“And…?”

“I’m going.”

His morning ruined, Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose against an impending headache.

“And if I object?” he managed to ask between clenched teeth. 

“When Kal and I were in Metropolis, I know Kon recognized me. He was fighting against Lex’s control, just like he did the last time. He needs familiar faces - faces of people he really cares about.”

“Your relationship clouds your judgment,” Bruce countered, setting his mug down. “He shattered the bones in your forearm; he brought down the Titans’ Tower on your friends; He nearly snapped Wonder Girl’s neck. He could have killed you all.”

“But he  _ didn’t _ because he  _ loves _ us.”

Bruce glared at him and Tim returned his gaze with equal intensity. 

He sighed.

“Fine,” he conceded, ignoring the wide smile on Tim’s face. “But you will absolutely do everything I say.’”

Tim all but ran from his seat and threw his arms around him. He groaned theatrically, failing to fight off his clingy child. 

Gingerly, Bruce returned his embrace.

~~~

_ Kon rockets over the emerald landscape towards Star City, where he finds Count Vertigo leading an assault on the Vlatavian Embassy. The police rendered defenseless as several officers hunker down behind an overturned patrol car. People scattered like mice between the vendor stalls; a banner that read “Vlatavian Cultural Festival” fluttered to the ground in flames.  _

_ “Confirming arrival,” he says into his comm-device as the Count’s men open fire. _

_ “Excellent,” comes his Pa’s reply. “Two objectives - First, don’t kill anyone but don’t show them mercy either.” _

_ “Understood.” _

_ “Second, we have our own operative on site. She has her assignment. Do not interfere.”  _

_ “Understood.” _

_ Just as Kon lands, he slams several dozen men against the ground with his TTK. He steps over their unconscious bodies, he rips the cast-iron posts from the fencing and uses them to hog-tie a dozen more. Several quick TTK blasts and the tanks are reduced to piles of sheet metal.  _

_ Several of Vertigo’s men chase after a pair of civilians. Kon spots a couple pushing a pram as they try to flee the oncoming fire. Using his superspeed, he steps in the way of the hail of bullets, allowing them to escape. He makes quick work of three of the soldiers, tossing them one by one like shot puts across the well-manicured lawn. As he turns to the last one, she quickly and quietly utters the words: _

_**Ego non visum spectaculum...** _

_ Kon suddenly falls still. The female soldier smiles before turning back to the couple cowering at his feet and guns them down. The toddler cries as she pulls it from the pram.  _

_ “Get back to work, hero…” she purrs. Kon blinks and they are gone. He blinks again and the couple’s eyes have already grown black. There is a bitter taste like bile building in the back of his throat.  _

_ More bullets bounce off of his force field, when he realizes the battle still rages on. Kon ignores the gunfire as he scans the surrounding area for their leader.  _

_ As he turns to look at the rooftop, one of Vertigo’s shockwave causes him to tumble over onto his side. And in the next moment, a laser hits him from behind and sends him flying into some topiary.  _

_ “The Royal Family isn’t paying us for a garden tour. Get up.” _

_ “U-understood.”  _

_ His ears ring violently but it is not enough to dodge the next laser blast coming his way. Kon uses his super speed to avoid the other oncoming blasts. He uses his freeze breath to encase its user from the neck down before pulling the gun apart piece by piece.  _

_ His ear twitches, the ringing now gone. Like a dog seeking scraps, Kon searches for Vertigo once again. He hears the faint hum of another attack queuing up and in an instant he rolls out of its way. Kon recovers quickly and sends a shockwave clap towards its direction. The Count scrambles from behind a pillar atop of the embassy’s steps just as the stone shatters. He grunts in pain as he’s thrown back by the blast. Kon is on him in an instant, catching him by his throat. In one swift movement, he rips Vertigo’s patch from his face, drops it, and crushes it under foot. _

_ “Officers, please come and apprehend these criminals,” he calls, tone deadpan. _

_ “T-thank you, S-Superboy!”  _

_ “Yeah, you really saved our asses back there, kid.” _

_ “You wretched devil!” Vertigo shouts, clawing at Kon’s hand. “I shall mount your alien head on my castle wall, mark my-” _

_ With a flick of his finger, he knocks him out and tosses the Count at the officers’ feet. _

_ “The police will secure the criminals. Head to your next assignment immediately,” Lex ordered. _

_ Suddenly, he hears cries of pain. Kon turns and sees they are a heap on a ground, sparks still leaping from their prone bodies. Without warning, electricity surges through him, filling every nerve ending with fire. He falls onto his hands and knees, fighting to stay awake as an incomprehensible pain seizes his brain. _

_ “This is it for you, alien scum!” someone shouts, their shadow eclipsing his weakened form. But then a shot rings out and his attacker’s shadow falls away. He crumbles in front of Kon, who watches with blurry eyes as blood streams from the hole in the center of his head. _

_ “S-Superboy, are you alright?” _

_ Their words went unheard as Kon watched the man’s gaze grow dark. He blinks furiously against his own fading reflection within his eyes. He balls his fists against the broken ground as he watches the man die. _

_ “Idiot…!” Lex barks through his comm, breaking through his haze. “You don’t have time for this! Get to Cale-Anderson  _ **_now_ ** !” __

_ He wipes away the blood trickling from his flared nostrils and, pushing through the tightness in his throat, Kon rights himself.  _

_ “I-I am fine,” he mutters, trying to keep from swaying. “I m-must go.”  _

_ He takes a few steps back before launching into the sky.  _


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Justice League tackles their "Kon" Problem. Lex and Bruno begin to make moves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit short but something is better than nothing. May amend later.

**Three:**

“Is everyone in position?” Robin heard his mentor ask through their psionic connection. As each teammate sounded off, Robin chewed inside of his cheek. Their team huddled near the northern wall of the Cale & Anderson compound - only several yards away from the R&D building where the plant growth agent was housed.

“I should be out there,” he muttered darkly, his gloves creaking as he gripped his bow staff. “If Kon sees me, he might hesitate like last time...”

The trio of assassins shook their cloaked heads.

“Our friends are correct, Rob,” Nightwing chirped, balancing an escrima on his palm. “Konny might break more than your arm this time. So, stick to the plan.”

“Superboy is near,” Raven called through the connection. 

Batman gave the signal for them to move and Robin slipped over the wall after them. They made their way to the backdoor, where they held their position.

“Holt’s already disabled all security systems from the Watchtower,” Batman explained. “We head inside and wait for the target.”

“And our Lady’s request?” an assassin braved. 

“Take it,” he conceded, eyes narrowing to a fine, white line. “But Ra’s knows that I will be after him the moment he even thinks of using it.”

The trio entered swiftly, leaving Robin, Nightwing, and Batman to cover the exit. Just as one of the assassins made their way to the vault and freed several vials of the growth agent, skylight’s panes began to shake. Then, came a thunderous roar from overhead before Kon crashed through, raining metal and glass down on their heads like an angry god. His face was stony, immutable. 

“Don’t move!” he thundered, floating down towards them. As he alighted, Robin noted the slight stumble. “I place you under arrest. Surrender and I won’t have to hurt you.”

“I don’t see anything like Tetch’s chip...” Kal grumbled through their connection. “But there is something…? The only other hardware on him is an earpiece. Lex is speaking to him now - telling him not to attack until they do.”

“Wise,” Diana replied. “Fighting without provocation would be highly suspicious.”

“Do not move from your position,” ordered Batman. The assassins held their ground, slowly reaching for their swords as Kon stalked towards them.

“B…”

“Let’s go…!”

Robin and Nightwing turned their eyes to their mentor. Batman shuddered the white-out lenses of his cowl for a moment, releasing a defeated sigh.

“Yes, _now_ ,” he grumbled.

The assassins threw down several smoke pellets, allowing them to retreat to safety. Kon breathed deeply, ready to clear the room with his super breath. It was then that the golden lasso descended through the broken skylight and wrapped itself around his shoulders. He yelped in surprise as he was yanked up and out into the open air. 

“Outside!” Robin heard his mentor bark. He and the others raced out from the backdoor, where they were greeted by the sounds of a struggle just overhead. 

“They have a dummy vial. I planted beforehand,” Batman growled as Nightwing was about to give chase as the assassins fled. “We deal with Kon-El _now_.”

Robin grappled to the rooftop, where he saw Superboy use his TTK to make enough space for him to slip out of the lasso. He caught it in his hands and yanked hard, causing the Amazon to tumble forward where he caught her in a lariat. 

Diana grunted in pain as she was hurled clear of the compound and sent crashing into the surrounding woods. Kon made a dive for Kal but Robin - so how - was faster. He aimed and shot his grappler, catching Superboy’s foot in the snare. Nightwing and Batman followed suit; all three quickly anchored their lines onto the roof. Kon’s trajectory briefly halted, Raven engulfed him in her portal, sending him flying through the other end into the area where Diana fell.

“Hold on…!” he heard Raven shout as Robin and his family were enveloped in darkness. After a moment, they re-emerged beneath a leafy canopy right before Kon, Kal and Kara came crashing through it. 

Robin looked on as Superboy snarled and lashed out at Supergirl but Diana was on him in an instant, hog-tying him with blinding speed. Then, she, Kara, and Kal held Kon down as he began to fight wildly against his bonds. The latter plucked the communication device from Superboy’s ear and crushed it.

“Now, Raven…!” Batman shouted over the struggle.

Robin watched as the demoness extended her arms and chanted her well-known mantra. Kon howled as his head was enveloped in her dark light. Without warning the demoness doubled-over in pain and he was released from her power. 

Nightwing caught her before she fell onto her knees.

“W-why isn’t he going under?!” he asked.

“There’s a barrier of some kind…!” she replied through clenched teeth. “I’m trying to break through b-but it hurts…!”

A shout caught their attention as Kal flew in over their heads in a graceless tangle of limbs before disappearing through the trees. 

“-his damn telekinesis…!” Kara yelped as she and Diana fought to keep Kon pinned.

Despite their efforts, he managed to free a leg and lashed out, catching Supergirl in her stomach. Kara grunted and flew backwards through several trees, but Diana held on - grunting as Kon bucked against her divine strength.

Raven shook her dark head before reaching out again. This time she took hold of Kon's entire form and clenched her fist. They both howled in pain until Superboy’s voice went hoarse and he fell still against the forest floor. 

Robin was about to run over when he felt a hand grip his wrist. 

“Better safe than sorry,” his mentor chided, slipping on a Kryptonite ring. He strode over and knelt by Kon’s prone form, his gloved fingers pressing gently against the boy’s neck

“Still alive,” he announced, the faintest twitch pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Good.”

“By the Gods, I never knew he possessed such strength,” grumbled Diana as she checked her rope work. “Raven, are you well?”

“My brain feels like it’s about to split open but yeah…” she croaked faintly as Nightwing wiped a bit of blood from her nose. “I-I don’t think I have enough power to teleport us back though…”

“Then, Zeta back with the others when you are ready,” ordered Batman as Diana hoisted Kon-El over her shoulders. “We’re going ahead.” And before Robin could protest, they were consumed by a pillar of white light and were gone.

~~~

Lex leaned on a pillar on the steps of the Metropolis Federal Court Building, frowning as the signal on his feed fell dark. He cursed under his breath as he furiously tapped on the darkened screen.

It was then that he heard a series of honks from black car lurking from the curb below. 

With a sigh, he tucked his phone into his breast pocket. Lex trotted down the stairs towards his ride, snorting derisively as he was made to pull open the door himself. As he climbed in and Lex was met with Mannheim’s thunder-like visage. The man sat opposite of him, his looming form almost eclipsing the soft light coming through the partition window. 

“They took Kon-El,” he growled. 

“It’s an acceptable loss,” he replied, pulling on his seatbelt. “He’s served his purpose… _for now_.”

“But he was fun to play with-”

“That is a nasty habit _you_ should divorce yourself of,” Lex returned, not bothering to hide the venom in his tone. “We have _real_ work to do, Bruno.”

Mannheim sighed, his broad shoulders slumping.

“Fine, fine,” he conceded. “They are in for a surprise anyway…” He rapped on the partition several times. It slid down and a tablet fell through into his outstretched hand. “Recovery mission was a success. She’s waiting for you, sir.”

Silently, Lex took the tablet from Mannheim, slowly examining each picture with a small smile.

~~~

_He knows it is a dream - it is the first one in a long time._

_Kon blinks. He sees a boy. A boy - with messy black hair and blue eyes like spring hyacinths. They lie in a corn field just by the farm, Kon resting his head on the boy’s lap. Softly, gently he feels his slightly calloused hands stroking his cheek._

_He speaks but the words make no sense. Suddenly, the boy’s fingers sink through his scalp. Kon jerks awake. The cornfields are gone, replaced by bright lights, glass, and grey walls._

_He cannot move. His eyes dart toward the mirror hanging above his bed where he sees Martian Manhunter pulling his fingers from his skull. His breath hitches against the collar strapped tightly around his throat until he begins to cry._

_“H-he’s awake-”_   
  


_“Kon, everything will be alright. I promise-”_

_“Get Raven-”_

_“-still in sickbay!”_

_“Then, John or Zatanna! We have to put him back under-”_

_Their words lend him no comfort._

_There is a sudden warmth that envelopes his hand. Through his tears he sees the boy he dreamt of holding it. Kon’s cries quiet down into soft sobs as he touches his face._

_“It’s ok,” he utters gently, his gloved thumb wiping away his tears._

_“R-Robin…”_

_“Yeah, it’s me...” he replies, his smile bright. “I’ve got you.”_

_In an instant, his clarity is gone like a storm unfurling across a clear sky._

_With a snarl, Kon leaps forward at him. But just as his hands near the boy’s face, a girl pushes him from harm’s way._

_Kon grabs her instead, his fingers digging into her throat. He roars and smashes her into a nearby wall, its metal panel crumpling like paper. The girl gasps in pain and claws at his hand, kicking furiously._

_Suddenly, the room is awash in jade and crimson. Kon crumples forward and hits the floor with a thud. The others finally free his victim from his grasp. He watches as they drag away her limp form like a rag doll._

_“Peels…” a kind voice whispers above him._

~~~

Batman sighed as Zatanna gestured to a screen full of MRIs of Kon’s cerebral cortex.

“It’s super complicated but bare with me,” she began. “So, Dr. Mid-Nite did find an implant at the base of Kon’s cortex but it’s not technical; it’s-”

“-magical…” he groaned, pinching the bridge of his cowl-covered nose. “I _hate_ magic.”

“That’s very rude,” huffed Zatanna.

“Apologies.”

“Well, anyway,” she continued, rolling her eyes. “...it looked like it suffered some recent damage as it indicated from the slight scorch marks here and here. All of these are fully healed, of course, and Kon retains full functionality. But the device itself is self-repairing and immoveable - It did not respond to our spells. Even J’onn tried his phasing powers and it remained unaffected...”

“H-how long do you think this will take to figure out, Zee?’ Superman asked, his brow furrowing deeply.

Zatanna bit the corner of her lower lip.

“It might be a-awhile…”

“Do we even have ‘awhile’?” Diana posited. “He almost snapped Supergirl’s just now.”

“That wasn’t his doing…!” protested Kal. 

“I am not arguing with you, but the longer he remains under Lex’s sway, the more likely others will be hurt-”

“-or he may get hurt himself...”

The room’s focus turned onto the Dark Knight.

“Zatanna, continue to work on this,” he said, tone uncomfortably calm. “And give us the room. Please.” 

She nodded and left quickly. No sooner had the doors swished shut behind them, Batman turned on the security protocols to ensure their privacy.

“Kal-El, we have to talk.”

Batman leaned back in his chair as he peeled back his cowl. His hair lay slick against his head - the scent of salt and slight musk coating his own sensitive nose. Bruce turned in his seat to look Superman squarely in the eye - his bright eyes matching Kal’s cold stare.

“I spoke with Kent Nelson,” he started slowly. “He has agreed to keep Kon-El in the Tower of Fate. Its magic and the metahuman collar will help dampen the boy’s Kryptonian and telekinetic powers”

“This is the Titan’s Tower all over again…” Kal quietly seeth. Bruce’s hand twitched by over the pouch of his utility belt as his friend’s eyes faintly glowed crimson. “...like when you wanted me to lock him away in the Fortress.”

“Well, we made a vow to protect people, Clark,” Diana countered. “This way, Zatana and her team can work without _anyone_ coming to any further harm.”

“And what if you can’t fix him?” Kal asked desperately, shaking his head as his hands balled into fists on the table. “Are you saying we leave him there forever?”

“I am saying we need to do what’s best for everyone. And that includes Kon-El,” Bruce returned coolly. “Lex thought he made a weapon but Kon made _himself_ Superboy and _you_ made him your family.”

“We need to do right by him, Kal...”

Their pleas met with silence, Bruce pulled his cowl back on and removed the lock down. 

~~~

Robin almost cracked his data pad’s screen as he watched his mentor try to leave the room.

“I’m sure nothing would make Bats happier…” Kara croaked from her sunlit-medical bed. As he turned to look at her, her split lips pulled themselves into a pained smile. “Maybe he’ll even put Kon on display in the Batcave...”

“Bruce would never-”

“-kill?” she chuckled, her voice like gravel. “Kon’s Kryptonian half isn’t enough to pass. Aliens don’t apply.” 

He heard Kara’s words but his focus was elsewhere. Robin stared at the feed. Bruce never left. Booster Gold now stood in the doorway, frantically pantomiming. His robotic companion - Skeets - zipped over to the projection area and synced it up to a live news feed. Robin changed the angle of the camera and watched as Cat Grant came into view on its screen. He quickly tapped on the volume as she announced: 

_Ridge-Ferrick Appoints Recently-Paroled Lex Luthor as CEO. Here we see Mr. Luthor and his infant daughter - Lena Luthor Jr. - who was recovered after being kidnapped from her adopted parents who were murdered in a recent attack on the Star City_ _Vlatavian_ _Embassy-_

“Now that bald gremlin is back…” he heard Kara hiss. “What in Rao’s name is going on…?”

~~~

Lena gurgled pleasantly as her pudgy hands reached for Lex’s face. He obliged her curiosity, letting her grab hold of his stubbly chin. 

“I missed you too,” he cooed softly, pressing his lips against her round cheeks as she giggled. A series of knocks ruined his small peace. Lex looked over his shoulder and saw Hope standing in the doorway. She strolled easily into the room, her heels clacking rhythmically over the marble.

“WGBS’ first and second quarter P&Ls, per your request,” Hope sing-songed, sliding a hefty file into his inbox before taking Lena from him. “I’ve also included profiles for governesses. I am partial to the young woman who graduated from the London School of Economics. Local girl from Wilmington. Runs a financial literacy/AP econ non-profit program in their public schools-”

“-and no doubt wants a generous donation in addition to an equally generous salary.”

Hope said nothing as she held his cool gaze with her own. 

He chuckled.

“Fine,” Lex conceded. “Hire her. Give her an extra 25%.”

“Perfect. Say bye-bye to Daddy, Lena.” He returned his daughter’s mostly tooth smile as Hope left. When the doors clicked shut, Lex plopped himself in front of his desk. He had only read the report’s summary page when an eerie light began to emanate from beneath his coat closet. 

The door slid open and Bruno’s girthy frame strode into the office.

“It’s weird seeing you be a father…” he snorted as he sank onto the couch. “She’s very cute-” 

“- _ and very much off limits _ ,  _ Bruno _ .”

“Even I am not that depraved.”

“I am relieved,” Lex replied, not bothering to hide the venom in his tone. “Now, why are you preventing me from working?”

“Anyway…” Bruno continued as he reached for the candy dish. “...my little birdy told me that the Justice League leadership wants to move Kon-El to the Tower of Fate.”

“So, let them,” he returned, idly thumbing through the rest of the P&Ls. “Justice League will be too late either way.”

“But Kon will tell them  _ everything _ .”

“No, he will tell them what he knows, which is nothing.” Lex pushed the papers aside, his mood soured. “What everyone fails to understand is that Kon-El is not legally a person. He is LexCorp property - a living copyright of our bioengineering department. I paid an army of lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians very handsomely to make that happen. His time out in the sun is nothing more than beta-testing. I can, have, and will do whatever I want with him.”

Bruno let out a low whistle before he popped a caramel into his sneering mouth.

“And people think I am an evil bastard…”

Ignoring him, Lex rose from his desk. He felt his guest’s beady eyes on his back as he strode over to the window. Metropolis framed perfectly within the crystalline glass. It was almost poetic watching the golden, dying light of the evening’s sun reflecting off of the Daily Planet’s globe. 

And just behind it, shimmering like a beacon against the bay, was LexCorp tower. The soft blue neon light grew brighter against the rapidly darkening sky.

His company.  His wealth.  His standing.  His daughter.  His greatest accomplishment.

In time, everything taken would return. The faint crinkling of a wrapper pulled Lex from his thoughts.  He balled his hands into fists as he glanced at Bruno rummaging through the candy dish in the window’s reflection.

And in time, the world would also remember a Lex Luthor untethered.


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deus Ex Machina time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts on Tana Moon:
> 
> Part 4's re-write is almost done but I wanted to give everyone some warning and context about a choice I am making.
> 
> So, I was like in elementary school when I read Kon-El’s Superboy run in the 90’s. NGL, both of my parents worked and because I was a “good kid” there wasn’t a lot of oversight on my media consumption, lol. But when Kon was with Tana Moon, my only thoughts were like: “Oh, wow! Another pretty reporter girlfriend with a handsome superhero guy.” And when he was with Knockout, I was like: “This lady is super weird and mean and I don’t like her.”
> 
> Now looking back as an adult, I recognize that DC approved a litany of horrible creative choices, some of which I will highlight below: 
> 
> Allowing Tana and other girls to be the victim of Kon-El’s continuous sexual harassment, i.e. he looked through Tana’s clothing with his X-Ray Specs. Then, portraying said constant harassment of Tana and other women as “boys being boys.”  
> Allowing a clearly abused, brainwashed, and traumatized, fully grown woman - Knockout - to fixate on teenage boys and kiss them without consent. Not excusing any of her behavior but her time as a Female Fury clearly fucked her up.  
> Greenlighting that super uncomfortable, foreshadow-y ending in Issue #25, where Knockout takes Kon to a secluded place and changes in front of him before they are seen training in Issue #26. I do not think they had sex but she did undress/strip in front of him, which is textbook grooming behavior and super fucking terrible. K.O. uses the promise of sex to keep Kon-El complacent.  
> Portraying as Kon-El as enjoying/returning Knockout’s sexual aggression, which normalizes sexual harassment as a form of “flirtation.” He decides to go along with Knockout because Tana still treats him as a “kid” when she expresses concern about their toxic relationship. More of the “boys will be boys” bullcrap.  
> Allowing Knockout to groom Kon (She does call him “Pup.”) and then attempt to tie them together through sexual acts, which Kon would have let her do, if she had not just tried to manipulate him into killing a dude, and then, killed that same dude herself in front of him. (WHAT WAS EVERYONE ON?!?!)
> 
> But I am glad that the writers had the sense to not allow Tana or Knockout to actually sleep with Kon. And especially with Tana, who despite her willingness to wait for Kon to grow up, decided to break up with him when it was apparent it may never happen. She never used her sexuality to hurt Kon in anyway, demanded respected and respected him as a person in return. Not saying it was perfect.
> 
> Anyway, I still loved their dynamic and I do hope Tana Moon comes back as an age appropriate love interest for Kon-El someday. So, in Part 4, Kon remembers Tana and their (brief) relationship very fondly. 
> 
> If that bothers you, please don’t read Part 4.

**Four:**

_All those documentaries he watched with Pa paid off because Kon is a full-fledged entomologist now. Last week, it was an Africanized honey bee (a queen). A month ago, it was a Poodle Moth. This time, he easily identified his tormentor’s newest form as a Lace Web Spider._

_He felt its needling legs cradling the soft flesh of his brain, slowly knitting fog over every thought, every impulse, every desire..._

_There are moments when Kon thinks he begins to surface, but the web drags him down._

_So, he just sits, watching the above spider beings to sink its fangs into the folds of his brain._

_Its venom pulses through his nervous system. It is pure yearning like liquified electricity running through his veins. Kon’s body twitches in fruitless anticipation as the spider’s commands fall silent before they are realized._

_“I’m in a coma, jackass,” he mutters, shifting to lay on his side. The spider angrily waggles its mandibles in response. Kon’s smugness quickly fades as the scent of lilikoi permeates his senses._

_“I don’t think I am getting out of here,” he calls to his visitor as he flicks at the swirling fog with his fingers. He looks up and sees Tana over his shoulder, her hands on her hips._

_“And I keep telling you, Kid, that you can,” she replies. Kon huffs and turns his attention back to the fog. He hears Tana moving to sit down beside him. She nudges him between the shoulders but he ignores her._

  
  


_Maybe if he goes - if he fades away with Tana right now - it would be fine._

_The Kents have Jon - who is a_ **_real_ ** _member of their family._

_The Titans are used to high turnover rates and they have Kara, who is stronger anyway._

_And as for Tim…_

_Kon hopes that he will give up - that he will just be okay. Because, if he dies this time, Tim won’t be alone like before. He has Bruce. He has Bart. So, maybe he won’t spend the rest of his life trying to clon-_

_“Stop it,” Tana scolds, immediately pulling Kon from his thoughts as her fingers dig into his arm. She forces him to roll over, where she pulls him into her lap like a ragdoll._

_“I had a good run,” he finally replies, staring up at her. “Besides, I miss you, T.”_

_“The feeling is_ **_not_ ** _mutual, lolo,” she chuckles. Her smile fades, before she adds: “...because the last time was too soon.”_

_The thought of a heavenly Hawaiian paradise with her still holds appeal. But, she is right. Tana would never let Kon give up. The knots in his gut unfurl into a loose, tingling sensation that seeps into his bones. She clutches his chin between her fingers, lifting his gaze to her own._

_“Don’t keep him waiting any longer, okay?”_

_He leans upward in her embrace, feeling the gentle touch of her lips against his own._

~~~

Tim woke with a start, upsetting the pile of chips bags and magical diagrams that lay over him and his bed. He turned his bed-tousled head in the direction of his vanity mirror, which emitted a series of pings and flashes. Scrambling from his bed and half stumbling into the seat, Tim furiously slapped at the smudged glass until his caller came into view. 

“...it’s not even noon…!” he grumbled as his voice was still thick with sleep as he was greeted with an image of Constantine, complete with a cigarette twitching between his smug lips.

“You look like shite,” the sorcerer teased, scratching at the stubble on his chin. “Another long night, then?

“Yeah, doing your damn job…!” Tim replied tersely, wiping his sleep crusted face on his shirt’s sleeve. “What do you want?” 

Constantine’s smirk faded instantly.

“The bosses want to talk.”

A cold sensation slowly slithered its way up Tim’s spine, burning every nerve-ending with frost.

“It’s been several months,” he continued, eyes darting between the mirror and his vice. “Kon’s condition hasn’t changed in the slightest.”

“So…” he began slowly as the cold crept along his nape. “W-when are they coming?”

Constantine sighed, releasing a steady stream of smoke from his nostrils. Lips pulled into a thin line, he slowly turned his gaze back toward Tim.

“Right about now...”

Breakfast be damned. Ignoring the painfully growling in his stomach, Tim showered, shaved, brushed his teeth, and dressed. He opted for business casual - partly because he could hear Alfred chiding him to take pride in his appearance; but partly to maintain the illusion that he was “functioning.” 

When he entered Kon’s room, he saw Bruce and Clark standing off in the far corner with Zatanna and Dr. Fate, all four speaking in hushed tones to each other. He noted Clark’s careworn expression, which only caused more ice to blossom in his gut.

Tim quickly realized they were not alone. He saw Krypto laid across his former master’s feet. Pa Kent and Kara flanked Ma Kent, who sat by Kon’s beside, gently brushing his dark curls from his forehead. Lois and Jon stood close by, the latter gripping his mother’s coat sleeve in his small fist. 

As they whispered concerns and condolences over Kon’s prone form, images of Jack and Janet’s funeral imposed themselves over the scene like ink spilling onto a page.

His lips faster than his reasoning, Tim heard himself say: “He’s still alive.”

The room fell still. 

All eyes turned to him. 

Dr. Fate and Zatanna quickly excused themselves, disappearing in a flash of light. 

Tim blushed.

“It’s so good to see you, Timothy!” Ma declared, breaking the awkward silence. She was on her feet with her thick arms wrapping themselves around him before he could blink. Tim smiled in spite of himself and hugged her back. The other followed suit (except for Bruce, of course.) - full of long hugs and wistful smiles (and a pat on the head for Krypto!).

“W-what are you all doing here?” he asked, steering a clingy Jon back into his mother’s arms. “I thought only Bruce and Clark were coming today…?”

“W-well, son…” Pa started slowly, his wizened eyes crinkling. “First things first, we want to thank you for everything...”

“Absolutely…! And Dr. Fate said that you have been an invaluable member of his team these last few months...” Lois added softly. 

“And we all know how hard you’ve been p-pushing yourself,” Kara chimed-in, dabbing her red-rimmed eyes. “Rao knows, I’ve been burning out my own night crystals…”

“But we need to make a change...”

Pinpricks of light danced across Tim’s eyes as his anxiety became fully formed because of seven words.

“We - _I_ decided to go in another direction with Kon-El’s care,” Clark began to explain. “I spoke with The League of Super Heroes and they have agreed to take Kon into the future, where they can hopefully find a cure for h-him…” The slight tremble of his lip fumbled his words. He paused, and finding them again, he continued: “Honestly, we should have just done this from the start. It’s clear we don’t have the knowledge or the power to help Kon as he is...”

Clark continued to speak but he could no longer hear it as Tim’s head filled with a loud, buzzing sound as all of the color drained from the room. The cold swept through him fully now and his knees buckled. And Bruce’s face was suddenly close, struggling to hold him as Tim began to shake. His head rolled back and he was greeted with the shouting, frightened faces of the Kents. As his unseeing eyes settled onto the only un-obscured patch of ceiling, everything went dark.

~~~

“It was a pseudoseizure,” Bruce explained, in that matter of fact tone that made Tim’s molars ache. “Stressed induced.”

He said nothing, opting to sink deeper into the pillows propped behind him. Bruce held up the glass to his lips. He tilted his head away.

“Clark is not doing this to hurt you or Kon,” Bruce uttered softly as he set the glass aside. “...and neither am I.”

“I believe you,” he replied through clenched teeth. “But, what if Brainiac can’t fix him? Do we prop Kon up in their museum?”

“...Tim, I…”

“Or will Saturn Girl stow him in the Phantom Zone?”

“Tim-

“Maybe Matter-Eater-Lad will hold a pillow over Kon’s face until-”

“Tim!” 

Bruce was holding him. Again. Tim shuddered a shaky breath as he eased into his grip. His body began to shake again, but this time with grief. He cried for what felt like hours, holding tightly onto his father in return.

Eventually, he stopped. Bruce left - but not before announcing that he would return in three days with Clark and the LoSH to escort Kon to the 31st century.

Sleep was a temporary salvation. Tim closed his eyes and dreamed of their corn field. 

In the morning, he woke to the frustrated grumblings of Kara Zor-El, struggling to shove an armful of clutter into a trash bin.

“Who let you in here?” he croaked.

“I never left,” Kara returned without looking back. She paused and shook a fistful of candy wrappers over her blonde head before cramming them into the bin. “Do you have _any_ teeth left?”

Not bothering to wait for his answer, she moved onto a small mountain of soda cans. Carefully, Tim got onto his feet and retreated to the washroom. He knelt by the tub, the tile digging into the thin skin of his knee. He felt each ridge as he leaned over the edge of the tub and opened the faucet over his head. Soaked to the scalp, Tim closed the tap and toweled his hair dry. 

When returned to his bedroom, he found Kara now perched on the edge of his bed. She was holding one of his notebooks in her hands, thumbing through its pages with inhuman speed. His research - neatly stacked and decorated with a litany of tabs - sat by her side.

“One of your own said that magic is just science not yet understood...” Kara began slowly, fingertips tracing the spine as Tim sat down beside her. “...but this magic affecting Kon comes from a science devoid of all and any logic. We just don’t have the knowledge or power to...”

It was true: Dr. Fate, Zatanna, Constantine, Xanadu, Dr. Mist, Themyscira and Atlantis’ finest (including Queen Mera) - half the population of the Oblivion Bar had studied Kon’s case and came away with nothing. 

“Then, who does?”

Her nostrils flared as she drew a deep, steadying breath.

“Mister Mxyzptlk.”

Tim’s brow knitted together in the small stretch of silence. His lips formed soundless words as they struggled to keep up with the torrent of thoughts.

“Did you just have a stroke?”

“No,” she chuckled. “Mister Mxyzptlk comes from the Fifth Dimension, where its inhabitants have the ability to manipulate reality itself. Humans called them ‘imps’ or ‘genies.’”

“...this sounds dangerous…”

“It is and he is… But, I did my research and there are at least two others like him that have come to Earth. Thunderbolt, from the JSA, is also one, but he and Jakeem are off world right now. The other one, you and your family know pretty well, I think...” Kara paused and reached into her shirt pocket where she fished out a piece of paper and unfolded it against the duvet. 

At a glance, Tim immediately recognized Damian’s art. But then his realization regarding its subject’s identity hit him hard. Literally, Tim found himself gasping for breath as he snatched the drawing from Kara’s grasp and held it up in front of his disbelieving face.

“The consensus is that he’s annoying but not malicious like Mxyzptlk,” Kara continued, ignoring his apparent dread. “And Dick and Stephanie both thought he was rather sweet...”

There was a knock at his door. It creaked open just enough to allow Zatanna to poke her head inside.

“Sorry, but I didn’t want to keep Kara’s guest waiting...” she apologized. She pushed the door open fully, revealing a small, humanoid creature in an ill-fitting Batman suit hiding behind her legs.

Tim crumpled the drawing in his fist as Bat-Mite stood before him.

“You can’t be serious...” he uttered darkly, hands still trembling.

“H-hello, Red R-Robin…” the imp greeted nervously, around Zatanna’s calf. “...or is it D-Drake? Or j-just Robin again-”

“Tim is fine,” he replied curtly, folding his arms across his chest. “I don’t want to be rude but can you actually help us?”

“O-of course!” he cried, stumbling forward over his ill-fitting boots. “I can zap you guys into Kon’s mind and then you have to convince him to come back with you… Really makes you think about ‘being trapped in your head,’ huh?”

“No return trip?” Tim asked, ignore the joke.

“Mind realities are a little more difficult to manipulate…” Bat-Mite returned slowly, tugging on the crooked ear of his cowl. “W-well, that is if the person doing the manipulating actually cares about the subject in question, w-which I do. And I don’t want to hurt Kon or Kara or you!”

“So, what do you want?” Tim asked, his tone measured.

“I want one thing that makes you Robin.”

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

“Robin comes from Dick Grayson,” he replied softly. “Bat-Mite, I can’t give you Robin because it wasn’t mine to begin with-”

“N-no, I mean, I don’t want _everything_ that makes all Robins _Robin_! I just want one thing that makes _your_ Robin _Robin_ , Tim!”

“That is confusing…” Zatanna half-whispered as she rubbed her temples with the heels of her hand. Tim could feel his own veins throbbing against his temple.

“It sounds like you have something in mind already,” Kara interjected. “Could you show us?” 

Bat-Mite disappeared and reappeared in an instant. He stood eclipsed by an oversized traveler’s trunk, which he struggled to hold up overhead on puny arms. Kara took it from him and set it down.

“Do you know what this is?” she asked Tim.

He said nothing as he shouldered past Kara to open the chest. There was an old-fashioned camera with an almost comical, oversized flash that sat atop a pile of pictures and negatives. Tim picked it up and turned to the imp.

“It’s enough?” he asked over the grief building in his throat as he gently placed the camera into Bat-Mite’s outstretched hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One last part and the epilogue, and then we are done! Should have done this re-write YEARS ago, lol!


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end. Kon moves towards healing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Mentions of sexual assault. 
> 
> Not a therapist or clinician, but I will provide IRL support resources after the fic for anyone that needs them. Thanks for reading!

**Five:**

_“It is not uncommon for victims to believe they bear the blame from their traumatic incident,” Dr. Joan Leland explains, her voice firm but comforting. “When your brother reached out to me, I knew that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy could cut through this misconception and help you to focus on the truth. Have you managed to finish your assignment, Kon?”_

_Her hologram smiles as he sheepishly holds up his worksheet._

_“It...This was really tough for me...” Kon starts slowly, scratching his chin. “I...I didn’t want to remember...”_

_“Of course,” she returns softly. “Let’s begin. Now, last week, you wrote that you ‘should have fought harder when Lex took over my mind.’ How can we revisit this?”_

_“Lex should...have never tried to control me in the first place.”_

_Dr. Leland nods._

_“Correct. You would have never been put in that position, if Lex had not imposed his will over your own. He was wrong for it now as he was wrong for back then.”_

_Kon swallows thickly. His finger trembles as he glances at the next item._

~~~

Something pinched the top of his head and stretched Tim’s essence like taffy, threading every inch through one end of a straw through the other. He coiled back into his original form, bit by excruciating bit. And when it was over, Tim folded over and vomited. Or least, he wanted to - what came out was like the unending fog that encircled his feet. 

It was then that he realized he was standing. The surface was hard but he felt no pressure; it felt cold but he did not shiver. 

Movement caught the corner of his eye. Tim turned and saw Kara reconstructing itself just above the mist. With an echoing gasp, she became fully formed - her eyes wide with shock. 

“What the fuck was that…?” she asked, doubling over as she hovered.

“Y-you can fly in here?”

“I guess so…?” Kara gave a twirl. “I wonder what else works…”

Before Tim could respond, his ringtone rang-out. Fishing it from his back pocket, he raised a brow when he noted that he had a full signal. Carefully, he thumbed through his newsfeed: 

_...Dr. Grace Balin, A.K.A. “Orca,” released on parole…_

_...LexCorp CEO Mercy Graves Still Missing After Failing to Attend G20 Speaking Engagement…_

_...Latvian Monarch Reduces Vertigo’s Sentence from Death to Life..._

“Bat-Mite and Zee say that Kon is still here somewhere,” Tim muttered, putting his phone away. “Let’s start walking…”

“But to where? I know my cousin is a bit-aired, but it’s literally a vacuous, unending plain of, like, absolute nothing.”

As if testing the water of a pool, Kara dipped the toe of her boot through the mist's surface.

“There is something there that we can walk on…at least I think so…” She settled herself more fully, sighing in relief as the fog only covered her feet. She reached backward, extending her hand to Tim, who took it. “I think I saw something far off in this direction...”

They walked for what felt like hours in the vast nothingness. Well, seeming nothingness. There was a small, gold dot fixed way off. Tim could not tell if it was getting closer or farther. 

“Hello.”

Without warning, there was a woman standing before them. Both Tim and Kara let out a yelp. Tiny wrinkles accenting her ellipsoidal eyes as she smiled. Her inky hair was cut in a sharp bang and bob that framed her full cheeks.

“Who are you?” Kara asked, her cape fluttering about her as she landed beside her. “How are you here?”

“Tana Moon,” Tim answered, before their guest could. “Kon’s first girlfriend.” A bitterness began to coat his tongue. It was not unreasonable for Kon to think of Tana, but...

“That’s correct,” she chirped. “It’s nice to finally meet you, the both of you. Kon was getting discouraged, so I left to get help. But...” She lifted her hands to reveal a thick piece of rope tied around her wrists. “...I got myself into a bit of trouble when I came looking for you.”

“Looking for us?” he heard Kara ask.

“We need to set her free,” Tim decided. 

“OK, let me try,” Kara replied, reaching out and taking hold of Tana’s bonds. The muscles in her arms rippled under the strain as she pulled. Kara clenched her teeth so hard they sounded like nails scraping across glass. She conceded, doubling over in a huff. “So, that’s a ‘no.’ I was kinda dumb for thinking I could break magic bonds that way.”

Tana frowned.

“I may have an idea,” she announced. Turning on her high-heeled feet, she gestured at a small golden dot on the non-existent horizon. “That’s what’s got us all tied up.”

“So?”

“So, what if we return the favor? Maybe if Kara gives this a pull-” she paused, pointing to her wrist. “...it would fly towards us and she could tie it up as fast as she can?” 

“Whatever you say.”

Taking the rope in her hands, Kara yanked it with all of her Kryptonian might. The gold dot rushed forward, growing larger and larger. As it raced toward them, it began to take the shape of a long-horned, Devil beetle. It waved its mandibles and emitted a horrifying screech.

“Now!” they cried. Kara launched herself around the creature in a red and blue blur. It fell to the _ground_ with a metallic thunk!

Tana rushed over and cut herself free on the exposed claw tip. 

“Thank you!” she chirped, rubbing her wrists. “Now, let’s go find The Kid. He’s just over here.” 

“The Kid...?” Kara asked in a hushed tone.

“Kon didn’t have a name until after he went to go live with Ma and Pa Kent,” he explained, racing after the apparition. As they trailed behind her, the fog began to rise. It whorled together in cloud-like clusters, that rose into the void. 

Tim looked up. Images began to play on each one like a movie. He saw memories of Kon’s family and friends, of the Titans, of himself...

He saw them kissing each other for the first time. Kon had just returned from the dead - Bruce too. After the party in the tower, they snuck away to stargaze by the bay. Jump City sparkling in the horizon, they closed the distance between them and-

“You cannot stop,” he heard Tana order. She slowed and grabbed his arm, pulling him along. “We need to wake Kon up before that thing is free again…!”

The mist dissipated, leading towards what looked like a sigil in the floor. As the drew nearer, Tim released in was the El House symbol emblazoned in gold on the ground. Suddenly, Tana stopped, releasing him and she moved to stand in the middle of it. 

“I have done all I could do,” Tana spoke, her timber causing his heart to flutter. She aimed her radiant smile squarely at Tim. “I need you to take care of our boy, ok?”

Before he could say anything, there was a blinding explosion. Both he and Kara were nearly thrown back from the force of it; the latter shielding Tim from the blast. 

As they peered through the wreckage, they saw that Tana’s head had been reduced to nothing but a smouldering crater between her shoulders. He gasped and rushed forward to keep her corpse from falling to the ground. But as soon as she caught her, Tana’s body scattered like ash, leaving a hibiscus in the palm of his hand.

“I think you got him,” he heard Bat-Mite’s voice echo from above. “I’ll bring you back.”

The return was just as bad as the sending. Tim and Kara found themselves gasping for breath as they were pulled back into their reality.

“W-what is this thing?” he asked, holding out the hibiscus toward the others. 

“I suspect it’s a soul anchor,” Dr. Fate said. “You will need to speak through it to pull Kon into his own consciousness.”  
  


“Does this ever end…?” Kara grumbled. “How do we get _this_ to work then?”

Instinctively, Tim walked over to Kon’s side and placed the flower on his chest. 

It began to glow.

A sigil appeared all over his body, like a gilded tattoo. Both it and the flowers began to resonate, filling the room with an odd, lulling song. The petals broke off and rose into the air, taking each line of the sigil with it. They hung for a moment like that, swirling about like a chandelier, until they burst apart, causing the dying spell to fall around them like stars.

Kon sat up and began to heave. He wretched until a small, golden creature fell from his lips, and then promptly fell back onto his bed. Dr. Fate and Zatanna pulled it into a forcefield, but the creature put up a fight. It forced the barrier around it to grow and grow - expanding it so much and so quickly that it threatened to crush them all.

“S-somebody better do something…!” Zatanna shouted.

Suddenly, Bat-Mite plucked it from their magical grasp, causing the creature to let out a final screech before it fell inert and its attack shattered, glittering into nothing.

A smile played on his cartoonish lips as he looked about the room with a hopeful expression:

“Do you think I can keep this too?”

~~~

_“If it is too difficult for you, we can take a break, Kon-El,” Leland offers. Kon shakes his head. He stares at his next answer._

_“When...when Mannheim h-hurt me…” he attempts, voice shaking. “...when he_ **_raped_ ** _me, I did not deserve it. And I did nothing to deserve it, whether I was able to fight back or not...”_

_“Again, this is correct. This is the only truth.”_

_Kon was far from fine - if that was something he could ever be again. But speaking it aloud and having someone else confirm it, allowed him to feel something like relief._

_“We have been conditioned to think that we can prevent the behaviors of others by taking precautions: don’t walk alone at night, don’t drink too much, don’t dress in certain ways,” Leland continues to explain. “But the harsh truth is that perpetrators are responsible for their actions - not survivors. Perpetrators are the ones that break social contract by choosing wrongdoing. They and they alone are responsible.”_

~~~

They all stood by Kon’s bedside, watching him chew his Big Belly Burger Deluxe with great enthusiasm. Tim - now Robin - could not help but smile. He, Kara, Wonder Woman, and their respective mentors watched him gobble up his first real meal in almost a year.

It worked. Kon woke up the moment Zatanna transferred them back to the Titan’s Tower. Cyborg and Dr. Mid-Nite ran a few tests (and let Kon shower) before releasing him back to Kal.

“You could have been killed,” Batman growled, looming behind Robin like a shadow. “Merging your consciousness with another being like that…”

“Kon, how do you feel?” he asked, ignoring his father. “Better?”

“Much!” he chirped, between bites. “Rao, I missed this! Lex won’t let me eat anything other than these chalky nutrient shakes...” He shoved several fries into his mouth, eyes rolling back theatrically in exaggerated pleasure. Kara snorted and nudged her cousin in his side.

“Kon-El, can... you remember anything?” Kal asked, face write with concern.

His chewing slowed as Kon set his burger aside and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.

“You don’t have to tell us, if it-”

Kon shook his head.

“Actually, I remember everything this time,” the boy began, a watery smile forming on his lips. “...j-just maybe a little too well.”

Robin inwardly grimaced. He cast a look at Batman from over his caped shoulder, who returned it with a stony stare.

“Start from your earliest memories,” he heard Batman say. Kon nodded slowly as he gathered his thoughts.

“Lex lured me to Metropolis using Orca,” he bega. “I...I was hanging out with Robin and then, I heard cries for help coming from Metropolis-”

“Yes, we were off-world at the time,” added Wonder Woman. “Lex must have known?”

Kal shrugged and made a gesture for Kon to continue.

“...and when I showed up, I heard this weird song - like a low whistling? It quickly became the only thing I could focus on. Next thing I know, I had an out-of-body experience and I couldn’t stop punching her! Rao, I think I killed her....”

“You didn’t!” Robin reassured him. 

“Good to know,” Kon returned with a slight smile. “And then, I flew over to Suicide Slums where Mannheim was waiting for me outside of this crap apartment. He took me inside and Lex was there. And then those two idiots began to put me to work.”

“W-what kind of work?”

“Insurance fraud mostly… Lex and Mannheim, who had me run these wild schemes,” he continued. “Dudes like Rupert Thorne, Goldie Gates, and Roland Daggett would put down big money. Then, they’d hire some low tier baddies; we’d fight and destroy everything; and everyone got a nice, fat payout…”

The room sat in stunned silence, save for Tim and Kal, who exchanged withered looks.

“You’re not...serious?” Kara uttered in disbelief. “...What?”

“Sadly, he is…” Robin said. “And it seems that Lex used his earnings to essentially climb the ladder through Mannheim’s Intergang Corporation - _Ridge Ferrick._

“Then, he used the company to purchase a majority share of LexCorp,” Batman added.   
So, when Mercy Grave went missing earlier this year, Ridge Ferrick voted to set Lex up as CEO back at his old company.”

“That’s all it was?” Kal asked, his tone hesitant. “Is that all Lex made you do?”

“No.”

The room fell still at Kon’s monosyllabic reply.

“Let’s give them privacy,” Wonder Woman said firmly, her hand on Batman’s shoulder. She led the others out, leaving only Kon, Robin and Superman.

“Kon, are...are you ok?” Robin asked.

“I remember almost all of it,” Kon cried, eyes darting between Robin and his hands. “Mannheim…he… I’m sorry, Tim!” Tears dotted the corners of Kon’s eyes. He blinked, causing several fat drops to roll down the bridge of his nose and fall with a soft pat against his bedsheets. “It w-was my fault…” “If I-I had f-fought harder…!”

Robin moved in to embrace him.

~~~

_“If I had fought harder, I would not have hurt others…”_

_“Reframe it, Kon,” she encourages._

_“Lex and Mannheim hurt others by controlling me, no matter how much I resisted…”_

_The same sense of relief fills his belly._

_“Correct, your body was not your own. Your actions were not your own. You feel you must live with consequences, which is a good thing. It means you are empathetic, kind. There is nothing wrong with feeling for those that were unjustly harmed, but again, Kon-El, you were not in control.”_

~~~

His freedom was short-lived. Kon could feel Lex’s control creeping back over him, and while it was nothing like the earlier spell, it took him all the same. Without warning, he shot out and caught Robin by the throat. 

Kal grunted as Kon hit him with the full force of his heat vision, sending the older hero through several walls. He blasted a hole through his bedroom window, and dragging Robin along like a ragdoll, rocketed out and into the air. Within minutes, they were flying along Metropolis Bay. He let Robin go, watching the boy fall into the quiet, inky water below. 

Seemingly indifferent to his burden’s survival, Kon-El soared upward and onward across New Troy. He saw it unseeing: his fathers’ city shrouded in the late morning’s light. He rocketed over the bay toward LexCorp Tower. The people waved at him, calling out to him as he flew overhead. But their shouts went unheard.

LexCorp Tower came into view and Kon-El slowed in his approach as he landed onto the penthouse patio. The scent of iron and copper and ash wafted past his nose from the open french doors. In the distance, half-hidden in by the billowing curtains, he saw a body, lying prone against the marble floor. 

As he drew nearer, Kon realized it was Mannheim - his eyes wide and mouth frozen in a snarl. Blood dripping from the hole in the middle of his forehead, his now lifeless fingers stretching toward nothing.

“You’re on time,” came his father’s voice from just beyond the shadow.

Lex appeared in the doorway. In his hand, he held out a device, from which the hypnotic sounds emanated.

“It’s a shame you were freed,” Lex complained, stepping over Mannheim’s corpse and the small pool of blood. “That was a one-off deal - a very expensive and hard to replicate magic spell. But, alas, I guess we will have to begin again…”

As he strode toward Kon, Hope and Faith also emerged, following after him.

Then, Kon saw her. Mercy.

Her fellow Amazons dragged her along as she struggled. Her speech and shouts seemed slurred and confused; her movements were wild but directionless. She was sporting a fresh bruise - a bright, deep purple swarth running the length of her cheek - as the other Amazons threw her at Kon’s feet.

“Why are you doing this?!” Mercy seethed, glaring at Lex and her sisters through her blackened eyes. “You’ve won!” 

“Toss her from the roof, son,” his Pa ordered. “She relapsed when she lost the company and killed Mannheim and herself during her rage.’”

Kon felt himself stoop and gathered Mercy into his embrace. 

“Stop!” she shrieked, her heels loudly scuffing against the patio floor as she dragged her. “Don’t do this!” He swung her over the ledge with ease. The wind whipped Mercy’s tow-color hair as she continued to struggle and to scream - her cries swallowed up by the din of the city. “Please, by the Gods, don’t...!”

Kon’s fingers twitched. Slowly, he raised his free hand and gently cupped the bruise on her face. Her shocked expression melted into one of resolution as she leaned into his touch.

“Please,” she begged, her eyes still screwed shut. “Please, d-don’t kill me… You’re not...you’re not like him!”

Suddenly, there a sharp whirling sound that flew past his ear. He it continue to head in the direction of where his father stood. Suddnely, Lex cried out, recoiling while holding on to his hand. in the distance, over his screams, Kon also heard something metal clattering to the rooftop, sizzling.

Kon gasped. His mind now cleared, he pulled Mercy to safety. She crawled away before collapsing into a sobbing heap.

“I gave you an order!” bellowed Luthor but Kon was on him in an instant, twisting Lex’s arm at an unnatural angle. He jerked his wrist and his father let out a roar. He let go, watching Lex’s arm go limp and dangle at his side at an unnatural angle. Kon reached out again, grabbing his father by his face and lifting him with one hand as he had done with Mercy. Faith and Hope stood frozen, unsure of what to do.

“...It would be so easy,” he whispered. “Even if you pull out the Kryptonite, it would just be one good squeeze and-!”

“Put him down, Kon-El!”

He looked up and saw hurdling Superman toward them. Wonder Woman and Kara were much faster, tackling Hope and Faith before they could react. Kon quickly shifted his stance, placing Lex between him and Kal, forcing the older Kryptonian to stop mid-flight.

“You don’t want to do this, Kon…” Kal warned, landing on his feet. “Just hand him over. Please. You _are_ better than this…”

“Kal, I-”

Kon’s reply died on his lips the moment something pierced his side, causing it to blossom in unfathomable pain. As the tell-tale green light cascaded over them, he understood. He looked down and saw that Lex dug a Kryptonite dagger into his side. A wave of nausea as his world began to spin, causing Kon’s knees buckled as he collapsed. He began to convulse, bloody foam spilled from his unmoving lips.

"...put it away!"

"-Batman, that's enough-"

"...Robin....careful!"

Through the ringing in his ears, Kon could hear shouting. Through the pain, he could see Kal lying on his side, reaching for him. With a pained cry, Kon reached out as well.

“It’s fine,” he attempted to say, to quiet their fears as their fingers touched. But his words went unspoken and his world went black.

~~~

_Their final appointment is next week. Dr. Leland praises Kon for his progress. And she reminds him that he needs two things: time and self-forgiveness._

_“Are you still doing group?” she asks._

_“Yeah,” Kon replies. “It… it really does help, knowing that I am not alone in this...”_

_Leland gives him a warm smile before nodding and hanging up._

_Jor-El blesses him with a crystal from their family’s collection and Kon makes it blossom into his own fortress. Ever the farmer, he takes the more docile of the menagerie, letting them roam about in his hybrid gardens._

_He is not ready to face the world again - not as a Conner Kent, not as Superboy, not as Kon-El. Kara tells him there is no shame in retreat. Kal says he needs to heal. Ma explains that he will find peace again._

_And if he just kept farming, as Pa said, then everything would come to him in time._

_Kon is happy that he does not have to do it all alone..._

_“Your G.E.D. results came in,” Tim says as he approaches He places a hot mug of cocoa into Kon’s dirty, outstretched hands. “How was your session?”_

_“It...it’s always hard,” he murmured, taking a sip. “Reliving this shit is fucking painful.”_

_The holoscreen’s newsreel projects an image of Lex’s face. LexCorp had seen a dip in its third quarter earnings. Lena had been adopted by a new family, since his father refused to step down to provide a safer, more secure life for her._

_He feels a tug on his sleeve. Kon looks and sees Tim gazing up at him, eyes filled with love. Kon smiles and leans in to kiss him._

_“Let’s go open your test results, ok?” Tim offers, placing a finger against his pursed lips. “I...I have a feeling we’ll have to celebrate later…”_

_Kon chuckles._

_“I’m so happy you are here…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cognitive-behavioral-therapy/about/pac-20384610
> 
> Resources for Victims of Assault and Trafficking (US, Only): https://www.rainn.org/national-resources-sexual-assault-survivors-and-their-loved-ones


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